Oh my poor post-festivities FWA...

FWA, for those of you who haven't read Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series, is an acronym for Fine Wide Arse which I have at the best of times but, after the holiday season, it has the propensity to enlarge.  I do the baking around here and that means tasting and eating.  *sigh*  The suffering I do for my family and friends...  *wink*

Just because the tree is taken down and all the trimmings put away until the next season of revelry doesn't mean that I don't hanker after nummy sweet things but the brakes have to be stepped on.  Well, mostly....

The other night, a friend, Carol Strombeck raved on Facebook about a cheesecake she had made and it sounded so good that I asked her to send a picture and I would post the recipe.  She did and I am ~ especially since she found she was able to use a sugar substitute for part of it and partially substitute a lower fat cream cheese.  And we all know what a healthy things blueberries are... 

In the FWA school of thought, cutting down on even a fraction of calories isn't a bad thing.

So here is Carol's version of :

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

(from the December 2010 issue of Real Simple)

Makes 16 Servings:
18 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (about 1 1/2 c.)
2 T. butter, melted
4 pkg (8oz. each) Philly* Cream Cheese, softened
1 c. granulated sugar**
2 T. flour
1 t. vanilla
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted cooled slightly***
4 eggs
1/2 c. blueberries, optional
1 T powdered sugar, also optional

Heat oven to 325 F.  Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.  Bake 10 min.  Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour and vanilla with mixer until well blended.  Add melted chocolate; mix well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended.  Pour over crust.  Bake 55 min to 1 hour or until center is almost set.  Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  Top with berries just before serving; sprinkle with powdered sugar.

(Carol‘s notes:

* used different brand and used 2 pkg. 1/3 lower fat and 2 pkg regular
** used Splenda
*** screwed up and used chocolate chips but tasted great anyhow!!!)